LYRICAL INSANITY = MORAL BANKRUPTCY

Ask anybody, particularly those in the entertainment world, how the Nigerian music industry is currently doing and you will hear words like: GREAT, AWESOME, BOOMING…When I look at the above responses and the 'object' in question [music industry], I am literally moved to tears. How do we judge growth and development as a nation? Is there no place for values? What’s our 'new' definition of ‘GROWING’?

I love music a lot. Though I can’t sing [very well], but I do appreciate good music - lyrically sane ones. Sonorous voices are also one of my greatest appeal, talk about Whitney Houston’s or Naija’s Christy Essien Igbokwe. Great voice, great lyrical strength.

A few days ago as I was doing some shopping in a local supermarket, I was attracted by a voice I heard singing close-by; I had to ‘search’ for the voice. Little did I know it was just a child of about 9 or 10years was ‘supplying us melody’. I made effort to listen more - I badly wanted to know if the lyrics were as good as the rhythm.

Irritated! This fittingly explains how I felt when I heard some of the lines… the most prominent of the words I think I heard were “shake what you mamma gave you…”

Fear catch me! You don’t need anybody to explain to you what the young lad was singing about. A boy of less than 10years with such words? As I stared at him open-mouthed, the level of rot in society and the negative impact of our music equally stared at me straight in the face… I was scared for the bad seeds my generation is sowing in the lives of the much younger ones - the professed ‘digital’ generation. We claim our leaders and fathers destroyed this nation due to their selfish attitudes, corrupt acts and moral paucity… Honestly, our moral bankruptcy far outweighs the collective crimes we think they have committed.

Entertainment wise, we are zero when it comes to morals! Guys, hardly can you find any modern day Naija song that has sane lyrics. It is all about sex, sex and sex… As much as music is meant to entertain and make happy, it is equally supposed to educate, positively!

Disgracefully, we are not even conscious of what we are teaching, or learning?

Because of other observable facts associated with this ‘digital’ age, music and musicians are now what raise kids the most. Kids want to sing their song and equally be like them. Unfortunately, over 80% of our music artistes are negativity teachers. All they have are contents a child’s mind shouldn’t be exposed to. Their lyrical insanity is a clear reflection of their moral paucity. Shamefully, this is the kind of people ‘society’ refers to as ‘icons’? Recently some were made "AMBASSADORS" by one of the telecom providers. Shame! Is our music industry [and the nation] now so sick that sexual perverts can enjoy huge media attention and role model status? Yes, we are happy they chose the part of using their talents to entertain, but we must tell them the content of their entertainment is not good enough, with the exception of very few. Truth is truth. What am I advocating for? Rich and positive lyrical content!

You can’t be more catholic than the pope; we have our style, our respect for human dignity, our originality - why are we ashamed to reflect and celebrate it through our music? Has respect and genuflection of moral values now a primitive form of art?

It has been repeatedly proven that 70% of modern day crimes are music motivated. We must appreciate the fact that music advices, music directs (and misdirects), music builds, music destroys, music does a lot of things… When will our folks begin to see their art in this light? Or are they fully conscious of what they are doing?

Surprisingly, the very few artistes that are not singing about their sexual exploits and their corrupt tendencies are either preaching crime or ‘prophesying’ doom on their homeland. I heard one of them say “a fool at forty is a fool forever, Nigeria is over forty…” What good is such a song to society? Can’t we just sing about solutions?

A couple of months ago, one of Nigeria’s ‘most celebrated’ new generation musicians was quoted to have said: “Two things sell most in the world; SEX and DRUGS, since I don’t DO drugs, why shouldn’t I DO sex…” I hope Bill gates, Oprah and Donald Trump gets to read this! Yet, he was one of those decorated as an “Ambassador” by the telecoms company. As if to say, “this is what a perfect Nigerian youth should look like!”

My question: isn’t this the kind of person and his art a threat to society? AM reminded here of the ‘Yahoozee’ crooner. His music was aired on CNN and The Oprah Winfrey’s show, just to buttress the fact that Nigerians are fraudsters. Imagaine! Yet, someone called him an “Ambassador” and a good “export” for the country! I believe music should be handled with the care of a message. Only a messenger of positivity should be in music, not perverts and hungry town criers.

As I write this piece, I remember the legendary Evi Edna Ogosi. Her music was always a message. It was her song that thought most people of my generation how to ‘cross the road’… “Look your left, look your right, look your left before you cross…” Her music was both a teacher and a message. Isn’t it a shame when the past looks more enviable than the present? Quite frankly, it is a shame!

Talking about someone like 2face Idibia, the reason an artiste like him will continually be an icon is because of the positivity in his music; his love songs are not lewd. The younger ones want to be like him, they should know that his secret is great talent mixed with positivity.

When we are not being bombarded with lyrics that celebrate all kinds of moral bankruptcy, then we are faced with the pictorial content of the music videos are morally meaningless, debasing and disgusting. You can hardly see any music video that doesn’t parade half-naked ladies; this is both degrading and misrepresenting of the average African woman. What a false impression and representation of womanhood! Shame! In my view, this is another form of assault on womanhood. Don’t let’s talk about our own Nollywood! That’s another day’s gist!

Am beginning to feel that there seems to be a silent voice from ‘society’ that says to every young musician: ‘we aren’t going to buy your music if the lyrics aren’t impure and if it doesn’t parade seductive half-clad ladies…’

When their music is not talking about how to seduce the opposite sex, it will be about a sexual experience or some sexual fantasy! Can’t we have songs that provide direction for living, give hope and heal wounds, correct ills, give ‘clean’ entertainment? What’s happening to our censor’s board - the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation? Isn’t it shameful that what viewers consider as air-undeserving is considered as ‘acceptable’ by those who we thought should know better? This goes to show the strength of the moral character of those at the helms of affairs at the NBC! These same people are quick to ‘ban’ certain religious programs… Shame! Femi Kuti’s BANG BANG and Zule Zoo's KEREWA was banned, but it still found its way out to TV screens! How?

When it comes to awards, I don’t know what our entertainment organizations and media outfit put into consideration when they give artistes awards both for their style and their music video! What are our criteria for applause and recognition?

The question is, what are the functions of PMAN? Other professional bodies [like the NMA, NBA and others] sanitizes their associations’, but the rot, wrangling, bickering and power struggle in the PMAN’s (Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria) leadership will let none of these happen.

Just about anybody can now claim to be a MUSICIAN, in Nigeria. Check out any association where the leadership faces power struggle and internal strife, you will always find mediocre having a field day. Apart from the undue acceptance that greets their works by the ‘society’, the commonest of all reasons why these moral perverts have a field day is because nobody checks them. So, they go publicizing and impacting their moral deficiency to the public, no thanks to TV stations that give them thoughtless airplay.

Happenings in the entertainment world further strengthens the reality that the desired change we have repeatedly talked about and long awaited can best be worked out by each of us. We can’t trust it on associations of the high-ups in society. If anything will change, it will have to be our individual responsibility, action and reactions!

Nor be our leaders hand the thing dey, Na we cause our problems, Na we go still correct am. The more we sleep, the longer our problems will remain.

When you see what you don’t like, DON’T ENDURE OR PRETEND - speak against it! This is the route to national change. If only a lot of us have been speaking hard against the evil trend of things in the entertainment industry and doing our bit to correct what we can, I believe something reasonable could have been achieved.

Our pretense and silence makes us sink deeper; we need a change in attitude! We have brothers, friends, neighbours, sisters, relations in the entertainment industry; we need to call them to order. Wetin sef? Dem nor deaf, them gol listen.

You don’t have to be dirty to make money or gain fame! Decency needs to start selling in our society! Sanity must be given rich publicity!

We need men of character to infiltrate the entertainment world. We need to prove to those the morally bankrupt folks out there that positivity sells. Am not saying every music artiste should go gospel, but what I am saying is: let’s have ‘clean’ hip-hop, let’s have ‘clean’ R n B, let’s have ‘clean’ rap… We need clean entertainment.

Besides, love or romance songs mustn’t come in ‘dirty packages’. Besides, real love is pure… We need lyrically sane audios and clean pictorial videos that are not morally debasing, corrupting, humiliating, demeaning, degrading and mortifying in any way.

As you take your place as a change agent; to correct the ills in society and speak against those things you think are not right, things will change in this nation. Every true revolution begins with one man. I strongly believe that your reading this post to this spot further proves that you are one of the change agents this country has been waiting for. Get into the ring and make things work, positively.

You will happen!